In remembrance of Martin Luther King and the countless numbers of both recognized and unrecognized people who fought for black rights, Washington Wizards‘ John Wall, Damien Lillard, and Derrick Rose will wear these special edition “Black History Month” edition sneakers for MLK day and all throughout Black History Month.
The words you see printed around the shoes are quotes from another basketball player whose name you might recognize: Kareem Abdul-Jabaar. In fact, he’s the focus on every single one of the shoes. Quotes, sockliners, and tongue details are all a nod to Jabaar.
The Damien Lillard 1 signature shoes feature purple and gold on the inside–from Kareem’s days in LA. The John Wall 1’s have blue and gold sock liners from his days at UCLA. The Derrick Rose Boost 5’s include an inside pattern that harkens back to Kareem’s days in Milawaukee. Finally, the Crazy 8’s have a “cracked” look on the inside which are supposed to harken back to Kareem’s days on the playground.
